In Depth Show Blog – Jan. 22, 2014

This is the In Depth show blog. Here you can listen to our interviews, find more information about the guests on the show each day, as well as links to other stories and resources we discuss.

Today’s guests:

The administration’s rebalance to Asia will put more emphasis on the Pacific region of the world and more spotlight on U.S. Pacific Command. Host Francis Rose shared audio of Navy Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, speaking last week at the Surface Navy Association’s annual convention on Pentagon Solutions.

Industry leaders and former federal executives are laying out an agenda for the government to merge together cloud computing and cybersecurity initiatives better. Industry organization SafeGov details specific steps the federal CIO Council and the White House can take to move toward integration of these programs. Karen Evans is a co-author of the report and former Office of Management and Budget administrator for e-government and IT. She tells executive editor Jason Miller how to bring all the moving pieces together to end up with secure cloud services.

The latest version of one of the General Services Administration’s most popular contracts ever is getting ready for prime time. Miller has details this week Inside the Reporter’s Notebook.

The balance between cybersecurity and privacy is even more important for the government to strike in the wake of revelations about the National Security Agency. That balance starts with crafting the right definition of privacy. One of the leaders of the conversation is Leo Wong, deputy chief information security officer at the Agriculture Department. He’s also the co-chair of the ACT-IAC Cybersecurity Forum: Implications of Privacy to Cybersecurity.

Bob TobiasDirector of Key Executive Leadership Programs American University

The chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee says the full Senate will soon take up a massive veterans benefits bill. Veterans groups say the omnibus bill is the most sweeping update to vet benefits in modern memory.

Francis Rose is the host of In Depth, which airs weekdays from 4-7 p.m. on 1500 AM in the Washington, DC metro area and online everywhere. Francis has covered all three branches of the federal government as a broadcast journalist since 1998. He joined Federal News Radio in 2006, and launched In Depth in 2008 as a daily show focused on connecting federal executives to the information they need to do their jobs better.